The Votorantim Group is among the 20 most respected companies in the world. The ranking brings together 200 companies with the best reputation and Votorantim is the third-placed Brazilian company.

The survey was carried out by the Reputation Institute (www.reputationinstitute.com), which chose the most respected companies from 660 concerns in 32 countries. The Votorantim Group's reputation has been continuously increasing in the ranking since the survey was held for the first time in 2006. Votorantim gained 34 positions in 2009 over 2008.

There was an improvement in some specific points related to Votorantim’s reputation in 2009. The company's Leadership put it in first place among those interviewed. It was also outstanding in the Governance and Citizenship aspect and came third in relation to Products and Services, Innovation, Financial Performance and Working Environment. The evaluation took into account other aspects, such as respect, admiration, trust and understanding.

The findings were based on a survey of the general public, involving more than 70,000 interviews, carried out between January and February 2009. The distribution of those interviewed was based on factors such as the age and sex of the population of each country. Most of those questioned had a high level of schooling and familiarity with the company in question.